Horror story of my THAILAND PASS application

[Sheryl]

7 hours ago, HashBrownHarry said:

What's the difference in uploading all the docs to an an agent than to the actual TP website itself?

 

Apart from the 3000 baht you're wasting?

The agents seem to have a "back channel" to get hold of humans and resolve issues.

 

Cost is I think a bit under 3,000.

 

One can use an agent even after filing on one's own, many people in OP's circumstances have done that with success (but not in time for a flight the very next day, of course).

 

 

[HashBrownHarry]

23 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

The agents seem to have a "back channel" to get hold of humans and resolve issues.

 

Cost is I think a bit under 3,000.

 

One can use an agent even after filing on one's own, many people in OP's circumstances have done that with success (but not in time for a flight the very next day, of course).

 

 

Are the agents reliable?

 

 

[scorecard]

Did you call the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Consular ministry?

 

This is the Thai gov't agency ultimately in charge of all Covid- 19 matters.

 

Their phone number is on their website, most of the staff speak perfect English, always good listeners, polite and helpful.  

[Sheryl]

1 hour ago, HashBrownHarry said:

Are the agents reliable?

 

 

@ThaiVisaCentre

is quite reliable and has a good track record. But, obviously, do not call them in when there are just hours to go.

 

Presumably OP has missed his flight....

[HashBrownHarry]

4 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

@ThaiVisaCentre

is quite reliable and has a good track record. But, obviously, do not call them in when there are just hours to go.

 

Presumably OP has missed his flight....

Yes, it's mind boggling why everything was left so last minute.....

[Tango777]

I have my ThaiPass since back in early December. I arrive in BKK - Sun, 9 Jan, 2022, 23:00. 

 

I think that Test & Go with 1 night ASQ is good through Jan 10 ? I sure hope so. Also 2 Thai citizens are traveling with me under the same arrangements. 

 

ASQ hotel is in Pattaya and I  know people who have done it there. 

 

I am looking for where I saw the Jan 10.

[SCOTT FITZGERSLD]

1 hour ago, HashBrownHarry said:

it's mind boggling why everything was left so last minute.....

you propably did not notice that i sent my application 15 DAYS AGO.

but i got NO REPLY AT ALL !!

so nothing was left for the last minute....but if they break all communication, than

there is no way you can tell what is happaning, until it is too late !!

[Tango777]

I was not going to mention this as it appears it's too late, but there is/was an email to send to and inquire. Supposed to wait 5 days before sending. I emailed after 4 days and received the TP later that day. This was back in early December however. 

 

I think I emailed to here -  [email protected] 

 

I am still trying to figure out if I can enter on Jan 9. 

Edited January 5, 2022 by Tango777

[cape]

12 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

Been a long week of holidays that ended yesterday unfortunately from just before Christmas to after New Years.

That ll likely be the reason. Holidays, offices closed.

 

I came in on a Thailand Pass.

 

Means all this:

(a) insurance - I bought from a company not based in Thailand

(b) a PCR before take off, and

(c) a hotel stay - another PCR on arrival, and one night in a gov-approved hotel (at the time, now one or two weeks).

The hotel fee also includes picking you up in a taxi from airport and three meals a day brought to your door.

I stayed at an Ibis Styles and it was fine, gave me time to laze and adjust.

*Fill in a form online beforehand to get approval, ie your Pass. The form seems daunting, but the pattern is simple, for each information they want:

(i) there's a request for a document eg your health insurance;

(ii) you answer with the doc ID ; and

(iii) you upload a jpeg scan of the relevant page from the doc eg the page showing your insurance covid.

*All doc.s checked through at airport. Then your taxi is waiting for you. You are whisked off to the hotel. You are given a bit of time to settle in and unpack. Then you go to another room for the PCR.
Chill out in your room and wait for the result. They've added on x days and another test, with omicron.

*"Negative" and all Thailand is at your feet.

Although it's changed with omicron, I reckon next month Feb22 it'll be back to this.

Buy your tickets when you can get them cheap. "Jack's Flights" are good.

Allow 10 working days for the Pass, I would think that's OK.

 

Best of luck everybody. Everything will be OK for high season '24. Omicron and the pandemic over this year, probably next month, because the vaccine.

Then two years to clear up the mess.

Back to the new-normal at, what, 80% of the old numbers?
 

[SCOTT FITZGERSLD]

8 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

Perhaps the Op has a ‘friend’ in Thailand who can make payment with a domestic (Thai) card?.... 

 

I doubt all the possible options and solutions have been explored, but the Op seems far more intent on venting his understandable frustration than putting that aside and working towards a solution. 

yes, i can also give myself now all kind of logical advices, but you ignore

one important factor here: TIME.

there was no way i could know about my problem until it was too late.

as the time passed, the PASS team did not communicate with me in any way, nor answered any phone

calls or emails, and did not give their answer in the promised time. so there was no way i could even know that there is a problem

as the time passed the date of my flight approached and...

 

maybe they did it because they want me to use an agent, who propably share with them

some tea money? hmmmm....maybe...

and how come so many posters apeare here all of a sudden , reccomending me to take an agent and how fast is the agent and what is your problem just take an agent...????

 

so i can use an agent now, but now i will have again to book - and pay - for another flight and hotel and insurance and than who knows what will be the result.

so i am feeling kind of tired from all this and need to relax with a tropical cocktail on some tropical beach to think it all over, but that beach is not going to be in thailand

[stigar]

8 minutes ago, SCOTT FITZGERSLD said:

you propably did not notice that i sent my application 15 DAYS AGO.

but i got NO REPLY AT ALL !!

so nothing was left for the last minute....but if they break all communication, than

there is no way you can tell what is happaning, until it is too late !!

Im really sorry for u Scott.My lady told me NOT o come now,and i listen to her.So i booked a ticket late march wihout pay anything in advance.I been with her 2,5 months last year.So we are doing fine.WE miss echother but we talk on cam everyday,that makes i easier.

[Uddernonsense]

You can write to the local or nearest consular section of the Thai embassy and they should help you out. Don’t forget to send a copy of your registration  .

good luck! 

[SCOTT FITZGERSLD]

6 minutes ago, Tango777 said:

I was not going to mention this as it appears it's too late, but there is/was an email to send to and inquire. Supposed to wait 5 days before sending. I emailed after 4 days and received the TP later that day. This was back in early December however. 

 

I think I emailed to here -  [email protected] 

 

I am still trying to figure out if I can enter on Jan 9. 

if you have the QR pass than yes, you can enter.

that support email did work indeed in the negining of december, i also got a reply, but

later all communication with them stopped.

[SCOTT FITZGERSLD]

Just now, Uddernonsense said:

You can write to the local or nearest consular section of the Thai embassy and they should help you out. Don’t forget to send a copy of your registration  .

good luck! 

i did wrote them and they said they have nothing to do with PASS, it is all controlled from

thailand, unlike the COE. That is why all the abuse of the system by those so called agents

[richard_smith237]

9 minutes ago, SCOTT FITZGERSLD said:

9 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

Perhaps the Op has a ‘friend’ in Thailand who can make payment with a domestic (Thai) card?.... 

 

I doubt all the possible options and solutions have been explored, but the Op seems far more intent on venting his understandable frustration than putting that aside and working towards a solution. 

Expand  

yes, i can also give myself now all kind of logical advices, but you ignore

one important factor here: TIME.

there was no way i could know about my problem until it was too late.

as the time passed, the PASS team did not communicate with me in any way, nor answered any phone

calls or emails, and did not give their answer in the promised time. so there was no way i could even know that there is a problem

as the time passed the date of my flight approached and...

Did you apply with complete documentation or was your PSAS receipt missing ????

 

You must have known there was a problem if your documents were incomplete.

 

They will not process an incomplete application - its awful of them not to communicate this to you. 

 

But.... thats in the past. 

 

 

IF you want to get into Thailand you have to comply with the requirements.

 

Re-apply, submitting all required documents. 

 

9 minutes ago, SCOTT FITZGERSLD said:

maybe they did it because they want me to use an agent, who propably share with them

some tea money? hmmmm....maybe...

No... they ‘did it’ because your submission was incomplete - in your ‘other threads’ you mentioned that you could not pay for the PSAS PCR booking.

 

9 minutes ago, SCOTT FITZGERSLD said:

and how come so many posters apeare here all of a sudden , reccomending me to take an agent and how fast is the agent and what is your problem just take an agent...????

Because you have been found technically wanting and have clearly struggled through the application / payment process. You have also become very upset, for people like you perhaps using an agent is the simplest and most stress free solution.

 

9 minutes ago, SCOTT FITZGERSLD said:

so i can use an agent now, but now i will have again to book - and pay - for another flight and hotel and insurance and than who knows what will be the result.

so i am feeling kind of tired from all this and need to relax with a tropical cocktail on some tropical beach to think it all over, but that beach is not going to be in thailand

Can you simply change the flight dates - or have you lost the flight due to a no-show ?

Did you cancel the hotel or apply to them for a date change? they may be considerate. 

You can add an extra few weeks onto your insurance - shouldn’t be an issue. 

 

 

 

 

[SCOTT FITZGERSLD]

today i got email from the PSAS support (the PCR payment site), saying he is "leally solly"...so i sent back to him few posts of other people complaining that they could not pay, and clarified that the problem still exist.

[richard_smith237]

1 minute ago, SCOTT FITZGERSLD said:

today i got email from the PSAS support (the PCR payment site), saying he is "leally solly"...so i sent back to him few posts of other people complaining that they could not pay, and clarified that the problem still exist.

Well thats just a kick in the ‘nuts’ after you were unable to take your flight etc. 

 

But... I know 7 people who have / are returning to Thailand in the past week / this coming week who have successfully paid for their PSAS PCR booking online. 

 

The site is working and processing credit card payments. 

 

Note: The PSAS site did suffer a payment portal issue two weeks ago - this was widely reported and fixed quite quickly. 

 

 

[SCOTT FITZGERSLD]

2 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

Did you apply with complete documentation or was your PSAS receipt missing ????

 

You must have known there was a problem if your documents were incomplete.

 

They will not process an incomplete application - its awful of them not to communicate this to you. 

 

But.... thats in the past. 

 

 

IF you want to get into Thailand you have to comply with the requirements.

 

Re-apply, submitting all required documents. 

 

No... they ‘did it’ because your submission was incomplete - in your ‘other threads’ you mentioned that you could not pay for the PSAS PCR booking.

 

Because you have been found technically wanting and have clearly struggled through the application / payment process. You have also become very upset, for people like you perhaps using an agent is the simplest and most stress free solution.

 

Can you simply change the flight dates - or have you lost the flight due to a no-show ?

Did you cancel the hotel or apply to them for a date change? they may be considerate. 

You can add an extra few weeks onto your insurance - shouldn’t be an issue. 

 

 

 

 

i thank you for your adviced and believe you truly want to help.

but please understand that i created this post to raise awareness to the problem.

there might be many reasons for an application to get rejected, but there is absolutely

NO REASON IN THE WORLD to give NO ANSWER AT ALL.

the worst part is that they DID NOT GIVE ANY ANSWER AT ALL until my flight date arrived.

this is just nasty abuse of their power.

and by the way, i DID GET APPROVED FOR THE PASS in the past, in early december !!

but my flght was cancelled than i had to apply again than they added the 2nd PCR test.

so i DID MANAGE TO GET ONE PASS in the past..but hey, it does not have to be that hard !!

we are just people trying to travel to thailand !! if thailand does not want now travellers

they should SAY SO CLEARLY and not play stupid games like the silent treatment !!

we are not in high school anymore !!!

[richard_smith237]

3 minutes ago, SCOTT FITZGERSLD said:

i thank you for your adviced and believe you truly want to help.

but please understand that i created this post to raise awareness to the problem.

there might be many reasons for an application to get rejected, but there is absolutely

NO REASON IN THE WORLD to give NO ANSWER AT ALL.

the worst part is that they DID NOT GIVE ANY ANSWER AT ALL until my flight date arrived.

this is just nasty abuse of their power.

and by the way, i DID GET APPROVED FOR THE PASS in the past, in early december !!

but my flght was cancelled than i had to apply again than they added the 2nd PCR test.

so i DID MANAGE TO GET ONE PASS in the past..but hey, it does not have to be that hard !!

we are just people trying to travel to thailand !! if thailand does not want now travellers

they should SAY SO CLEARLY and not play stupid games like the silent treatment !!

we are not in high school anymore !!!

 

It's not silent treatment or games.... Its just ‘civil service’ (quite an oxymoron) - its the same when dealing with any government body operating in a vacuum without any competition. 

 

The whole set up... the poor information, circular, often contradictory, often confusing... the terribly coded Thailand Pass website, the farce of going through the whole Thailand Pass process just to have all the same documents used in the application process double checked on check-in and arrival is moronic....

 

You have cruelly been subject to a failure of a very poorly designed system - its incredibly clumsy.... but you can’t take it personally. 

[stigar]

16 minutes ago, SCOTT FITZGERSLD said:

i thank you for your adviced and believe you truly want to help.

but please understand that i created this post to raise awareness to the problem.

there might be many reasons for an application to get rejected, but there is absolutely

NO REASON IN THE WORLD to give NO ANSWER AT ALL.

the worst part is that they DID NOT GIVE ANY ANSWER AT ALL until my flight date arrived.

this is just nasty abuse of their power.

and by the way, i DID GET APPROVED FOR THE PASS in the past, in early december !!

but my flght was cancelled than i had to apply again than they added the 2nd PCR test.

so i DID MANAGE TO GET ONE PASS in the past..but hey, it does not have to be that hard !!

we are just people trying to travel to thailand !! if thailand does not want now travellers

they should SAY SO CLEARLY and not play stupid games like the silent treatment !!

we are not in high school anymore !!!

I went to FB and search for thaipass..ur not the only one with this problems.

[LoeiI]

1 hour ago, SCOTT FITZGERSLD said:

yes, i can also give myself now all kind of logical advices, but you ignore

one important factor here: TIME.

there was no way i could know about my problem until it was too late.

as the time passed, the PASS team did not communicate with me in any way, nor answered any phone

calls or emails, and did not give their answer in the promised time. so there was no way i could even know that there is a problem

as the time passed the date of my flight approached and...

 

maybe they did it because they want me to use an agent, who propably share with them

some tea money? hmmmm....maybe...

and how come so many posters apeare here all of a sudden , reccomending me to take an agent and how fast is the agent and what is your problem just take an agent...????

 

so i can use an agent now, but now i will have again to book - and pay - for another flight and hotel and insurance and than who knows what will be the result.

so i am feeling kind of tired from all this and need to relax with a tropical cocktail on some tropical beach to think it all over, but that beach is not going to be in thailand

For about 65 quid you could have been sat on a tropical beach IN Thailand my advice leave the lone wolf applications to the experts I hope you get it all sorted by the way  

[BusyB]

36 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

 ... the farce of going through the whole Thailand Pass process just to have all the same documents used in the application process double checked on check-in and arrival is moronic....

 

10 thousand likes ...

[Moneyhonour]

A few things i don't understand and did not read in this tread. 

When you apply for a TP, after the whole procedure and after sending application.

You will receive a confirmation and as a receipt you get a four digit number, that you can use to check the status of your application.

Did you receive any of the above?

If so, what was the status of your apllication? Have you checked?

If not, there was no application send.

Also, did you check your Spam/Junk folder in mail?

[LikeItHot]

17 hours ago, SCOTT FITZGERSLD said:

and what if in april there will be another outbreak? we cannot plan like that.

i learned and followed the rules, problem is that thIs PASS team are breaking the

rules they made. the least they can do it SAY SOMETHING so people will know

if to wait for their answer or not.

 

The plan is stop traveling during a pandemic.

[thaibeachlovers]

17 hours ago, HashBrownHarry said:

What's the difference in uploading all the docs to an an agent than to the actual TP website itself?

 

Apart from the 3000 baht you're wasting?

Using an agent is IMO never wasted money. It gets results which is the entire reason to use them. The alternative is the OP.

[Capella]

19 hours ago, Polar Bear said:

Officially, yes, but in practice they are able to advocate for you if they are willing to do it. Although usually they won't even consider it until one or two days before you are due to travel.

 

I know 2 people who got their TP this way and if you search this forum, you will find other examples. (Which is how I found out about it in the first place.)

The consulates and embassies might say that they advocate to placate the callers that inundate them, but they can't and don't. The TP system is a different department, managed centrally, and consular staff have no involvement in it. Any approvals following a promise to advocate (to politely get rid of a caller) are coincidental.

Edited January 5, 2022 by Capella

[Dave G]

I applied today from the UK for myself and Thai wife. ASQ (I didn't add QR codes for our vacations)

I got acknowledgements within a couple of minutes with reference number. My wife's application was approved within 10 minutes and mine within 2 hours. 

Based on the above, I would suggest if anyone is having problems after a few days, they resubmit an application. 

 

 

[HashBrownHarry]

8 hours ago, SCOTT FITZGERSLD said:

you propably did not notice that i sent my application 15 DAYS AGO.

but i got NO REPLY AT ALL !!

so nothing was left for the last minute....but if they break all communication, than

there is no way you can tell what is happaning, until it is too late !!

Yes, it noticed.

 

Why did you not start a 2nd application?

[texanaust]

Do you have to have a fully paid hotel reservation for the Phuket Sandbox?  Can you book with a credit card deposit?  If you do have to fully pay, are there any hotels/resorts that allow refunds or last minute date changes if you are denied boarding due to Covid, Thai pass issues, etc?

[Nip]

16 hours ago, Polar Bear said:

The PASS application requires medical insurance, not missed flight insurance, and even if you have travel insurance, many policies won't cover a flight missed because you didn't get your visa, etc. in time.

Just because it worked for you doesn't mean it works for everyone. My friend's pass was rejected multiple times for different and incorrect reasons. For example, the vaccination certificate was rejected for not being in English, when it was trilingual including English. When it was eventually approved, it was just another resubmission of the same documentation she had been uploading all along, but miraculously, it was suddenly correct.

But even if someone has got an error in their documents, they are advertising support by email and 24/7 phonelines, and they don't answer any of them. Why even advertise it if you aren't going to staff it?

 

The whole system is an incompetent mess. 

What PASS requires and what is prudent as a traveller in these difficult unpredictable times are two different. I'm no genius but I researched pondered and was prepared for all eventualities such as delayed, cancelled flights etc and proceeded without any problems. So my experience was tiring but successful. And while arriving and being processed in BKK was tedious the Thai attempt at controlling the virus carries more rubbons than in most of Europe. Credit were credit is due.